ID :
14599
Sat, 08/02/2008 - 09:00
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https://oananews.org//node/14599
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Fukuda makes major change to Cabinet, retains only 4
TOKYO, Aug. 2 Kyodo - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda made a major change to his 17-member Cabinet on Friday, retaining only four ministers and appointing veteran ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers for key economy-related posts.
The new lineup appears aimed at gearing up for the House of Representatives election that will be held by September next year when the term for lower house members expires, but reappointed Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura denied such intentions.
''It speaks for itself that we did not carry out this reshuffle with a view to raising the public support ratings in preparation for the dissolution'' of the lower house for a general election, Machimura said after announcing the newCabinet members.
''Our Cabinet aims to figure out ways...to realize policy issues that face us and to tackle issues,'' the top government spokesman said. ''We are not carrying out politics or doing work as Cabinet members for the sake of ratings.'' The attestation ceremony for new ministers at the Imperial Palace to formallylaunch the revamped Cabinet will take place Saturday morning, Machimura said.
Along with Machimura, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe, and Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Hiroya Masuda, who does not hold a Diet seat, were the only ones whoremain in Fukuda's Cabinet.
In a likely move to reinforce the government's fiscal and economic policies amid surging prices of crude oil and other commodities which have prompted concerns of a possible slowdown in the economy, Fukuda named LDP heavyweightsto key positions in the area.
Bunmei Ibuki, former LDP secretary general, was appointed as finance minister, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano as economic and fiscal policy minister, and Toshihiro Nikai, former LDP General Council chairman, as economy,trade and industry minister.
LDP policy chief Sadakazu Tanigaki was given the position of land,infrastructure, transport and tourism minister.
The new Cabinet includes two women -- Seiko Noda, a former postal minister who was once ousted from the LDP, as state minister handling consumer affairs, and Kyoko Nakayama, who has served as adviser to Fukuda on the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese, as state minister in charge of the abductionissue.
From the New Komeito party, the LDP's ruling coalition partner, policy chiefTetsuo Saito was given the environment minister portfolio.
The change in the Cabinet follows Fukuda's selection earlier Friday of new LDP executives such as former Foreign Minister Taro Aso as secretary general to replace Ibuki and Takashi Sasagawa, House of Representatives steering committeechief, as General Council chairman, taking the place of Nikai.
The LDP General Council approved the new party leadership, also including former education minister Kosuke Hori as chairman of the Policy Research Council succeeding Tanigaki and Makoto Koga, who was retained as chairman ofthe LDP Election Strategy Council.
Fukuda said in announcing the new LDP executives at the party headquarters, ''It has been 10 months since I took office and during this time, I have been working based on the idea of promoting a government administration that places emphasis on people's lives and stands at the level of the general public.''He said he decided to reshuffle his Cabinet so as to further such efforts.
Early Friday afternoon, members of Fukuda's old Cabinet submitted their resignations en masse at an extraordinary meeting, paving the way for the Japanese leader to bring in some members of his own choosing after havinginherited most ministers from his predecessor Shinzo Abe 10 months ago.
Calls had been growing for Fukuda to form a Cabinet that reflects his own political stance, given that 15 of the 17 members of his previous Cabinet alsobelonged to Abe's administration.
The reshuffle is apparently aimed at bolstering the Cabinet's sluggish support rating, which has not improved much even after Fukuda chaired the Group ofEight summit in Hokkaido in July.
According to major media organizations' polls in mid-July following the G-8 summit, the approval rating for Fukuda's Cabinet remained below the ''danger''line of 30 percent.
Fukuda's choice of Aso as the LDP's second-in-command apparently reflects hishope to boost the ruling party's popularity ahead of the general election.
Aso, popular among the younger generation as a fan of ''manga'' comics, served in the same post under Abe, but only for about a month because the latter abruptly resigned last September following the ruling coalition's defeat in theHouse of Councillors election in July.
Winning the next general election is crucial for the ruling coalition, which has yielded control of the upper house to the opposition bloc after last year'selection.
==Kyodo
The new lineup appears aimed at gearing up for the House of Representatives election that will be held by September next year when the term for lower house members expires, but reappointed Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura denied such intentions.
''It speaks for itself that we did not carry out this reshuffle with a view to raising the public support ratings in preparation for the dissolution'' of the lower house for a general election, Machimura said after announcing the newCabinet members.
''Our Cabinet aims to figure out ways...to realize policy issues that face us and to tackle issues,'' the top government spokesman said. ''We are not carrying out politics or doing work as Cabinet members for the sake of ratings.'' The attestation ceremony for new ministers at the Imperial Palace to formallylaunch the revamped Cabinet will take place Saturday morning, Machimura said.
Along with Machimura, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe, and Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Hiroya Masuda, who does not hold a Diet seat, were the only ones whoremain in Fukuda's Cabinet.
In a likely move to reinforce the government's fiscal and economic policies amid surging prices of crude oil and other commodities which have prompted concerns of a possible slowdown in the economy, Fukuda named LDP heavyweightsto key positions in the area.
Bunmei Ibuki, former LDP secretary general, was appointed as finance minister, former Chief Cabinet Secretary Kaoru Yosano as economic and fiscal policy minister, and Toshihiro Nikai, former LDP General Council chairman, as economy,trade and industry minister.
LDP policy chief Sadakazu Tanigaki was given the position of land,infrastructure, transport and tourism minister.
The new Cabinet includes two women -- Seiko Noda, a former postal minister who was once ousted from the LDP, as state minister handling consumer affairs, and Kyoko Nakayama, who has served as adviser to Fukuda on the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese, as state minister in charge of the abductionissue.
From the New Komeito party, the LDP's ruling coalition partner, policy chiefTetsuo Saito was given the environment minister portfolio.
The change in the Cabinet follows Fukuda's selection earlier Friday of new LDP executives such as former Foreign Minister Taro Aso as secretary general to replace Ibuki and Takashi Sasagawa, House of Representatives steering committeechief, as General Council chairman, taking the place of Nikai.
The LDP General Council approved the new party leadership, also including former education minister Kosuke Hori as chairman of the Policy Research Council succeeding Tanigaki and Makoto Koga, who was retained as chairman ofthe LDP Election Strategy Council.
Fukuda said in announcing the new LDP executives at the party headquarters, ''It has been 10 months since I took office and during this time, I have been working based on the idea of promoting a government administration that places emphasis on people's lives and stands at the level of the general public.''He said he decided to reshuffle his Cabinet so as to further such efforts.
Early Friday afternoon, members of Fukuda's old Cabinet submitted their resignations en masse at an extraordinary meeting, paving the way for the Japanese leader to bring in some members of his own choosing after havinginherited most ministers from his predecessor Shinzo Abe 10 months ago.
Calls had been growing for Fukuda to form a Cabinet that reflects his own political stance, given that 15 of the 17 members of his previous Cabinet alsobelonged to Abe's administration.
The reshuffle is apparently aimed at bolstering the Cabinet's sluggish support rating, which has not improved much even after Fukuda chaired the Group ofEight summit in Hokkaido in July.
According to major media organizations' polls in mid-July following the G-8 summit, the approval rating for Fukuda's Cabinet remained below the ''danger''line of 30 percent.
Fukuda's choice of Aso as the LDP's second-in-command apparently reflects hishope to boost the ruling party's popularity ahead of the general election.
Aso, popular among the younger generation as a fan of ''manga'' comics, served in the same post under Abe, but only for about a month because the latter abruptly resigned last September following the ruling coalition's defeat in theHouse of Councillors election in July.
Winning the next general election is crucial for the ruling coalition, which has yielded control of the upper house to the opposition bloc after last year'selection.
==Kyodo
